Webster has MRI on sore back, team heads to Milwaukee for final preseason game and more
From Kent Youngblood/Star Tribune:
Martell Webster's back will keep him out of Friday's preseason finale in Milwaukee. Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis said it is possible Webster's pain could keep the swingman out of the season opener Wednesday as well.
This is further indication that Webster's sore back -- which he says has been an issue since he was undercut during a playoff game with Phoenix last season when he played for Portland -- might be more serious than previously thought. Webster has had a magnetic resonance imaging exam. But the team is waiting on announcing a final diagnosis until the team gets a second opinion on the results of that test.
Meanwhile, Webster will stay home and get treatment when the team goes to Milwaukee. In addition, Sebastian Telfair (shoulder) and rookie Wesley Johnson (hamstring) will stay behind and receive treatment. However, neither of those two injuries is considered serious.
From Jonah Ballow/Timberwolves site:
Darko Milicic participated in a light version of practice yesterday and worked out with the team on Thursday afternoon. The Wolves center missed the last contest against Indiana at the Target Center due to neck and shoulder soreness.
Also from Ballow:
Following practice, the team boarded a plane for Milwaukee and will square off against the Bucks tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m.
When it comes to improvement from last season's numbers, the Timberwolves are right behind the Magic. They're the most improved offensive team and the fourth-most improved defensive team.
Looking at last season's correlations, we know that the offensive numbers are a little more believable. And the Timberwolves' improvement has come from more than just shooting the ball better. They've also been better than the league average when it comes to taking care of the ball and getting to the line.
From Mike Tokito/The Oregonian: Former Blazer Sebastian Telfair looks to make most of opportunity with Timberwolves
From Ken Berger/CBSSports.com:
Based on gate-receipts data, the teams that have struggled the most in the past two years of the current CBA are Memphis, Minnesota, Milwaukee, Indiana, Atlanta and Charlotte. The Sacramento Kings are a clear candidate for relocation, given that their stalled efforts to build a new arena resulted in what Stern termed a "disappointing" update on that franchise's future at Arco Arena.
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, one of those small-market owners, said the planning committee is "making progress" on a new revenue-sharing plan that is being worked out in lockstep with collective bargaining.
"I don't want to say we have the model," Taylor said. "I would say that we're looking at a number of different models."